This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Essen.
Essen is an industrial city, and although it has some interesting buildings, like the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, the Essen Minster and treasury, the Old Synagogue and the old town of Kettwig, the Museum Folkwang, and Villa Hügel, you can see it all in less than one day. The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex is most famous and is a UNESCO heritage site. It used to have many interesting buildings from different historical periods to interesting buildings from more modern times (the Krupp factories), but Essen was almost completely destroyed during World War I, as it was heavily bombed due to its importance as a major steel and coal center not only in the Ruhr region but also in all of Germany. The city has never fully recovered to its past glory.
Essen doesn't have much to offer to the avid traveler apart from factories and corporation headquarters. If you expect nightlife and interesting architecture, Essen is not your place.
Essen, which is among the ten largest and best developed cities in Germany, has more than half a million inhabitants, but unlike other German cities of its size, Essen has extremely limited hostel options. If you like golf, you can find Essen hostel options situated between two golf clubs.
Written by local enthusiast for Essen hostels
George Traveller